


240

by mamamoofic, usniverse



Category: Mamamoo
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2019-08-04 05:35:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16340750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mamamoofic/pseuds/mamamoofic, https://archiveofourown.org/users/usniverse/pseuds/usniverse
Summary: It takes 4 minutes to fall in love, but how long does it take to fall out?





	240

_Two hundred and forty._

Byulyi did her counting, and she knew for sure that was all it took to fall with Jung Wheein.

\---

Byulyi first heard this from her crew members. They had all agreed to crash at Byulyi’s place for a usual weekend hangout, disregarding the owner’s protest.

“There’s an entire scientific experiment about this,” one of her friends said.

“I think it can be true. It sounds convincing.” Her other friend chimed in. “What do you think, Byulyi?”

Byulyi raised her eyebrows. She had planned to keep her comment to herself, given that the topic of discussion wasn’t exactly one she was fond of.

“It sounds like some romance bullshit to me,” Byulyi shrugged. Byulyi had never been an ace player when it came to love and relationships, and it was probably because she was too cautious, as one of her exes had pointed out. Byulyi was a walking personification of pre-caution, always making sure she was one step ahead of danger – and by danger, she meant heartbreak. That’s why when she was told about this theory, that it only took four minutes to fall in love with someone, she scoffed at the idea with skepticism.

“Yeah? Next time you see a hot girl, count.”

Byulyi agreed, not to accept the challenge but to dismiss it.

Days later, however, when Jung Wheein happened, Moon Byulyi did count.

 

_One… Two… Three… Four… Five…_

“Who’s that girl?”

It took Byulyi only five seconds to voice out the question. There was a new dancer in her crew, she knew that much. That was what the crew was gathered for. The welcoming session. The new member would show off their skills and if the other members liked it, they’d slide their shoes toward them as a token of appreciation. The welcoming session was an important tradition for the crew, it would determine how much you’d be liked and how big the chance of you fitting in in the community was.

“The new girl. I heard her name was Jung Wheein.”

Byulyi’s gaze was locked on Wheein, following every movement she made. Despite herpersistent stare, if Byulyi was asked if she remembered what dance Wheein did, or what music she chose, Byulyi would shrug. All she remembered was Wheein’s sharp eyes, and her nose, and her little smirk when the cheers got louder. All she remembered was Wheein’s eyebrows, and jet black hair, and the way it was flipped and how Wheein would run her fingers through it.

The music continued blasting and Byulyi could remember the cheers from her friends, as the main protagonist of the session showed off her skills at the center of the room.

Byulyi kept counting.

  


_Eleven… Twelve… Thirteen…_

There were some couples you knew would end up together even before they did. Like it was just how it was supposed to be. Like there was no other possible way.

That was the case of Moon Byulyi and Jung Wheein.

No one was sure when it started, but most suspected it was there since their first encounter.

So, when it was Wheein’s birthday and the crew threw a party for her, and Byulyi appeared with a bouquet of Wheein’s favorite snacks and a slightly-stuttered-although-rehearsed confession after the birthday girl blew out the candles, all the crew members cheered for them. There was a lot to celebrate that day, and more than half of them woke up the next day with a hangover.

Months later when they reminisced about the scene, one of Byulyi’s closest teammates would say it was “like finally witnessing an anticipated goal in a world cup!”

Byulyi smiled then, and she still does, now, whenever she was reminded of that day. Only, back then, they were all so blindly convinced it was a victory. Now, however, Byulyi thought there had never been any winner after all.  


 

_Thirty three… Thirty four… Thirty five… Thirty six…_

Wheein’s first kiss was in high school, with a girl from her Biology class. It was shy, sneaky, done in secret, hidden at the corner of the locker room long after school hours ended. She no longer talked to the girl and she’d had a lot of other kisses from other people ever since. She always believed, however, that the first was always the hardest to forget.

Until Byulyi happened.

The first kiss they shared was not exactly shy or sneaky. They were at a bar, Byulyi had ordered a signature cocktail from the bartender while they talked loudly, half-screaming, trying to beat the deafening EDM that was filling every inch of the room.

The other crew members had scattered all over the dance floor, showing off their skills and at some points, Wheein and Byulyi were dragged along. They were both slightly tipsy, the atmosphere was great, the music was loud, and Byulyi brought her own body a little too close to Wheein.

So Wheein knew that the only right thing to do was to pull Byulyi by her neck and kiss her.

Byulyi kissed back, of course, and everything happened in a blurry speed after. The next thing Wheein knew, she woke up the next day at Byulyi’s place with her girlfriend still sleeping soundly in her arm.

Wheein smiled, heart swelling in affection as she pressed a tender kiss on Byulyi’s lips. The latter fluttered her eyes open in response, and Wheein forgot any other kisses before Byulyi’s.

  


_Forty nine… Fifty… Fifty one…_

The crew had managed to secure their third victory for three consecutive years, and Wheein was euphoric because it was her first. The crew celebrated all night, their practice room a big mess, and everyone stayed at home the next day, recovering from exhaustion. But days later, they would still talk about it, about the cheers they heard after they performed, about the trophy they almost broke, and about how they wouldn’t mind doing this for the rest of their lives.

Years later, however, when Wheein bumped into three of her former teammates in a new Italian restaurant downtown, suits and tie on them instead of baggy t-shirts and training pants, she greeted them with a smile.

Sometimes “the rest of our lives” was too long of a time, and too sweet of a promise.

  


_Sixty… Sixty one… Sixty two… Sixty three…_

The couple lay sprawled on the floor, their t-shirts sticky with sweat as they laughed at the scattered, half-opened moving boxes of their belongings. It was Byulyi’s idea, told with a cliché pick-up line of _“I want to be with you all the time”_ and despite the roll of Wheein’s eyes, she was the one who showed more excitement in decorating the bedroom and organizing their stuffs. Byulyi turned her head to look at Wheein, spending some good seconds just staring at her before smiling so wide her nose was scrunched up high.

“I swear I’ll love you for the rest of my life.”

  


_Eighty seven… Eighty eight… Eighty nine…_

Byulyi waited.

She hated waiting, but she waited nonetheless. Because Wheein had mentioned that she was craving for homemade bibimbap and Byulyi, after browsing for the easiest bibimbap recipe and scrambling through the supermarket to buy the ingredients, had planned to surprise her girlfriend once she was home.

But when the clock struck 2 AM and there was still no sign of Wheein, Byulyi stopped waiting.

The next day, Byulyi woke up to find her favorite toast on the dining table, the bibimbap gone and the dishes washed. Beneath was a small note.

“I’m sorry.”

Byulyi ate her breakfast alone.  


 

_One hundred one… One hundred two… One hundred three…_

It was always the usual celebration. Chicken. Beer. More fried food. More liquor. Only this time, the laughter wasn’t as loud, smiles weren’t as wide, and despite the loud chatter and jokes, there was a heavy air hanging in the atmosphere.

Then, at some point, the chatter stopped at the same time. It left a couple seconds of silence before one of the members burst out in tears.

“What am I going to do without you guys?”

This very sentence pulled the trigger and suddenly everyone was crying, all scrambling across the room to give the member a hug.

Byulyi watched from a distance, arms crossed as she leaned against the wall, watching the scene before her. She didn’t want to cry, didn’t want to focus on the sadness because she was afraid of farewells.

The crew had started small, and by small, it was only five people, boldly running toward their dreams, including Byulyi. With perseverance and sincerity, it had successfully grown and seeing a friend who had built the community piece by piece with her from the start had to go, Byulyi tore her gaze away.

It was then when Byulyi’s gaze met Wheein’s. Wheein gave her a smile. An apologetic smile, and Byulyi heaved a sigh.

“Guys, I have another announcement.”

It took a while before the cries subdued and people turned around to look at her, eyes swollen and nose runny.

“There’s one more person that unfortunately can’t join us anymore.”

  


_One hundred thirty… One hundred thirty one… One hundred thirty two…_

Neither Jung Wheein nor Moon Byulyi was a morning person. They noticed how terrible their loathing was for early mornings when they woke up together for the first time. Wheein groaned when the sunlight spilled into their room, and Byulyi abused the snooze button countless times. They were both late for practice and they’d laughed when the members complained about their tardy habit.

On some rare days though, Byulyi would be accidentally awakened from her sleep a little bit early – even earlier than the alarm, and she would turn to the side to get a better sight of her sleeping girlfriend. Byulyi would then take in all the smallest details of Wheein’s face. Her freckles, her eyelashes, the way Wheein’s lips were parted ever so slightly when she was asleep. Byulyi would lightly trace her finger against Wheein’s cheek, careful not to wake her up, until she herself fell back to sleep.

That day though, despite the sun hanging high in the sky, Wheein still hadn’t showed any sign of getting up. Byulyi laid down beside her, fully awake. She looked at Wheein’s sleeping face, still with her lips slightly parted, but Byulyi didn’t notice this time. Her eyes were locked on the latter’s cheek, fingers inching forward only to retract them back almost abruptly. Byulyi got up from the bed, took a shower, and fixed Wheein’s blanket, adjusting the curtain so the sunlight wouldn’t hurt.

She then ate her breakfast alone.

  


_One hundred fifty four… One hundred fifty five… One hundred fifty six…_

Their first big fight.

Byulyi sat at the dining table, face buried against her palms. She didn’t cry, but she didn’t want to see Wheein, or allow Wheein to see her. Wheein was across the room, leaning against the wall, her chest heaving up and down with harsh breaths.

“I told you I’m sorry.” Wheein croaked out.

Byulyi knew she was on the verge of crying, and she despised it when Wheein cried. But there was a big mess right now in her chest and she needed to escape from that chaos.

“Are you, really?” She muttered against her palms.

This sent Wheein off her edge.

“What is the matter with you? I just came home late, why do you need to make this big?!”

“Because it’s been too often!”

Byulyi raised her head this time, gaze sharp at Wheein. She immediately regretted it, because she could see the tears swelling in Wheein’s eyes.

“Look, this happens too many times. You’ll promise to make time, but at the end you don’t. Maybe you shouldn’t make promises you know you’ll break.”

Byulyi inhaled a breath, trying to speak in her calmest tone, but her voice was shaky with suppressed emotion and Wheein winced when she noticed.

“I told you I’m sorry…” Wheein’s voice was begging now, and she didn’t bother to hide her tears anymore. Byulyi looked away.

“We live together but we barely even talk now.”

Byulyi wanted to say that it felt like living with a ghost. She’d see Wheein every now and then, but Wheein went home when Byulyi was already tired and asleep, and woke up when Byulyi had gone for practice.

“You know it’s for work.” Wheein reasoned.

It was true. Ever since Wheein got a job offer as a choreographer for one of the top entertainment agencies in South Korea, she had been working overtime almost every day. Byulyi had been concerned about Wheein’s health and well-being at first, but right now, she was more concerned for their relationship.

Byulyi was tired. She knew Wheein was, too. Probably even more than she was. She glanced at Wheein, who was quietly sobbing and heaved a sigh.

“Just microwave the pizza and have some, I’m going to sleep first.”

Byulyi went to their room and the next day when she was awake, Wheein was already at the dining table, chewing silently on a cold slice of pizza.

  


_One hundred sixty nine… One hundred seventy… One hundred seventy one…_

The crew ditched their daily practice that day. They all gathered in the middle of the room while the center of the attention – a beagle puppy with white fur and brown spots – ran around, bumping into one knee to another and let out a small bark every now and then.

Byulyi laughed when the puppy licked at her opened palm, heart melting because of its cuteness. She was reminded of Wheein, how it became their inside joke that Wheein resembled a puppy, and how once, they promised to adopt a puppy together.

Byulyi asked her friend, the owner of the beagle, about the basics of puppy adoption, the cost it’d take, and whatnot.

 _‘Wheein would certainly love it,’_ Byulyi thought. She remembered how Wheein would stop at the nearby park on their way home because there were two stray dogs hanging around there. How her girlfriend would bring them chicken bones and beef jerky, and how the dogs would nuzzle against Wheein and act all protective around her.

 _‘Wheein would love it,’_ Byulyi thought again. _‘Maybe.’_

She looked down at the puppy, welcoming its paw on her palm and later that night when she went home, she brought with her a beagle plushy.

Years later, Wheein would find the doll in a pile of her old stuffs, and she would frown, trying to remember whose it was.

  


_One hundred ninety eight… One hundred ninety nine… Two hundred…_

“New York?”

Byulyi frowned at the mention of the city, which was thousands of miles away.

“Yes! Can you believe it? This is a huge opportunity, Byul!”

Byulyi forced a smile.

“How long?”

“Oh, it’s just a month, don’t worry.” Wheein grinned.

Just for a month. Only for one short-term project. Wheein would come back after 30 days and it should be okay.

Only, it wasn’t, because there had been too many cracks Byulyi hated to admit was in their relationship, and she wasn’t sure if being apart for one month would make things better.

  


_Two hundred twenty seven…_

Byulyi decided to drink coffee that morning. She slept very late – almost didn’t – last night, binge-watching anything Netflix offered, but that same day, she had a long day of practice for the year-end festival. Being drowsy and fatigued would be the last thing she wanted. She glanced at her phone, saw a notification.

A text from Wheein.

Byulyi flipped her phone over so that the screen faced the table and stared at her cup of coffee instead. The liquid was dark brown, because Byulyi put only a little creamer, and the steam was visible, floating up from the surface of the coffee to the air.

  


_Two hundred twenty eight…_

Byulyi placed her palms on the cup of coffee. It was warm. She placed her lips on the rim and took a sip, feeling the liquid burn her tongue.

  


_Two hundred twenty nine…_

The coffee went lukewarm. Byulyi frowned when she took a gulp. It tasted awful.

  


_Two hundred thirty…_

Byulyi picked Wheein up at the airport. Wheein rushed toward her, engulfing her in a big, tight hug. It took Byulyi a few milliseconds before she hugged back, and Byulyi shuddered at how she doubted.

The coffee had gone cold.

  


_Two hundred thirty one… Two hundred thirty two… Two hundred thirty three…_

“You changed.” Wheein voice was hurt, and Byulyi was offended at that tone. Because no, she was the one hurting, and Wheein didn’t have the right to say that.

“Oh really, now? So I’m the one who prioritizes work over this relationship and neglects her girlfriend? Very fair, Jung Wheein.” Byulyi scoffed. She didn’t have to, but she was enraged, she was hurt, and she wanted Wheein to know that.

“What happened to the gentle and understanding Moon Byulyi I knew?”

“She’s dead.” Byulyi’s voice was cold. “She has been dead since her girlfriend stopped showing effort in keeping this relationship.”

Wheein stared at her in disbelief. Her eyes were red and Byulyi could see the anger behind them.

“Of course it’s my fault. It always is!” Wheein stormed off, out from their apartment. Byulyi’s legs twitched, almost instinctively going for Wheein, but she stayed firm and didn’t move an inch.

  


_Two hundred thirty four… Two hundred thirty five… Two hundred thirty six…_

Byulyi looked at Wheein, who refused to look back at her, and she couldn’t help but wonder what went wrong. Wheein was her everything. She’d look at Wheein and she would see all the good things in the world. She would see the most vibrant colors and she would believe in magic. Right now, however, across Wheein in their regular coffee shop in town, Byulyi looked at Wheein and she saw an ordinary woman, who was pretty with her now short blonde hair, but she barely saw any hint of magic there.

 _‘We need to talk’_ was what Byulyi said in the phone two hours before. Wheein was silent for a while but immediately agreed. What else could she do, anyway? Where else could she run away to? Or from?

“We both know this isn’t working anymore.” Byulyi started. She had always been the composed one between the two. The one with preparations. With a careful plan. A walking embodiment of precaution, once upon a time defied by Jung Wheein, and now once again built by the very same person.

Byulyi tried to remember when it all started. When Wheein’s hug was not so warm anymore, when waking up next to Wheein didn’t send tingles all over her body anymore. She wondered when her muse had just become another person she once knew. Was it really after Wheein got the new job? Was it before? Was it somewhere along the way, and it just took Byulyi too long to realize?

Was love just like coffee, and no matter how burning it was at first, it would get cold in the end, nonetheless?

“So, it’s over?” Wheein asked. This time, she diverted her gaze toward Byulyi, and it took Byulyi by surprise how she couldn’t see anything there. No sadness, no anger, nothing. She wondered if it really was what Wheein felt, or if those eyes didn’t speak to her anymore.

  


_Two hundred thirty seven… Two hundred thirty eight… Two hundred thirty nine…_

There was one day when Byulyi brought Wheein to the local waterpark together. It was summer and they were not in the mood to sweat by practicing for hours on end. So Byulyi told the other members they were sick – “Seriously? Both of you? At the same time?” Her friend had asked in skepticism, but Byulyi answered confidently with “What do you expect? She caught a cold and I kissed her and—“ She was hung up right after and Wheein couldn’t stop laughing – and they went to the waterpark.

It was not necessarily their best date, not their first, and also not the most amusing place they had been to. But it was summer and it was hot, and the water felt cold against their skin, and they couldn’t remember anything but laughter and smiles.

They went home, catching colds for real – both of them – and they laughed, sleeping in each other’s arms in a humid summer night with runny noses and happy dreams.

The next summer, they’d be reminded of that particular day and they would smile, sharing the same memories. They went to sleep that night with sweet memories and dreams of cold water splashing against their skin.

  


_Two hundred forty…_

The music stopped and applause could be heard throughout the room, along with cheers and even whistles. Shoes were thrown to the middle, landed around where Wheein stood while the dancer panted for breath. Her smile was bright and she bowed to the audience in gratitude.

Wheein scanned the room, lips smiling so wide as pride swelled in her chest at the positive response. It was then she caught a gaze from one of the crew members. The stare was intense – too intense – and Wheein didn’t realize she had been staring back.

She didn’t know then, that it took Byulyi two hundred and forty to fall with her; seconds to fall in love, and days to fall out of it.


End file.
